Unconditional Love of Jesus

 Ed Silvoso was one of the most effective leaders in the great revival that swept Argentina in the 1990s. As a teenager, he was already a dedicated evangelist. He prayed earnestly for the sinners in his neighbourhood.

He piously told God all about the sinful lives of this man and that woman. He called on God to bring conviction of sin and grace for them to repent of their evil ways.

Then God spoke to him about his own wrong attitudes. God showed him how he loved his neighbours. 

The zealous young evangelist learned to pray for the personal needs of his neighbours. God did not even want him to preach to these neighbours because of his superior judgemental attitude.

People don’t become addicted to drugs or alcohol because they want to sin and be evil. They feel an emptiness in their lives and they look for drugs to make them feel better. Should we pray for them to feel guilty and repent? Guild motivation usually doesn’t work.

Do women become prostitutes because they enjoy sexual sin? Usually not. Prostitution is often a last resort. Women are poor and hungry or need money to support drug habits. There are all kinds of reasons, but to reach prostitutes for Jesus, we have to empathise with their suffering. We need to see how God values them, even if they cannot see any value in themselves.

Many Christians today expect people to repent of their sins and be converted to Jesus before they will pray for their healing or offer much needed help. Jesus often did things the other way around.

Jesus healed many who were not converted, although he was deeply grieved when they received healing but did not turn to God for salvation.

I know a group of Christian women in Germany who visited a brothel every week. They didn’t go in like evangelists, but offered genuine friendship.

One Christian woman took a prostitute to a cinema. In the middle of a movie, the prostitute shouted out loud, “Now I believe in Jesus!” It was not a Christian movie, but she was touched by the love of God because the Christian woman showed her unconditional love and acceptance.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

Jesus offered up his life because he loved people, people like you and me, people like teachers and nurses, people like drug dealers and pimps, all kinds of people. 

Jesus feels what we feel. He feels the pain of the victims of abuse. When you love someone, you feel empathy with their suffering. That is what God is like.

Jesus. The Friend of Sinners

 I once knew a dedicated Pentecostal evangelist. He was a very good, sincere Christian, and he had wonderful ministry gifts. I saw him pray for a little boy who was born deaf. Three months later, the little boy’s hearing was tested, and his disability had vanished.

He was a conservative Pentecostal who avoided every appearance of evil. He would not go to the cinema, even to watch a good movie. Someone might see him and be led into sin by watching a bad movie.

Once he was invited to a family wedding where most people were not strict Christians. People were drinking alcohol. His wife was distressed and outraged that her holy husband was obliged to mix with such worldly goings-on.

I was puzzled. I read in the Bible that Jesus ate and drank with sinners. He did not avoid contact with women, even prostitutes. It made me think about different concepts of Christian holiness.

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.” Mt 11:19 NIV

One night I was driving when I saw a tall slim young woman at a bus stop. She was wearing a tight-fitting dress, and she did not look respectable.

I felt a strong prompting to stop and offer her a lift. Could that be the leading of the Spirit of God? Surely not!

So I stopped and prayed. I was sure it was the leading of God, so I turned back and offered her a lift. She was heavily drugged and talked to me very openly. In fact, she was really he, on his way to a public park to prostitute himself in a public toilet.

I shared the gospel of Jesus, but he said he could not stop his unpleasant night job, because he owed a lot of money to his drug dealer. He told me where he worked in the daytime, so I went to see him to give him a bible.

I walked with him to the bus stop, and he kissed me on the neck. I was so embarrassed, but I knew that was how Jesus loved people. Jesus exposed himself to shame and scandal to rescue people with broken lives.

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Lk 19:10 NIV

Paradise for You

 Researchers in England, Canada and the United States have studied the effect of gardens and trees on people.

In England, it was found that people with more access to gardens, trees and parks were healthier.
In Toronto, Canada, researchers discovered that people living in neighbourhoods with more trees were also measurably healthier.

In Chicago, a high-rise complex was built in 1963 to provide better housing for poor people. Unfortunately, this high-rise complex became a ghetto for poor black people. Drug dealing, violence and all kinds of social problems prevailed.

Researchers investigated the effect of the view from these apartments. Tenants who could see trees and green spaces from their windows were able to concentrate better, were measurably more positive and in a better mood.

Another study investigated the recovery of patients after surgery. Patients in a hospital made better progress when they could see green nature from their windows.

God let the first humans live in a beautiful garden.
They then mistrusted God and rejected His love through disobedience.

So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.

After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. Gen 3:23–24 NIV

The consequences of sin are still terrible, but God has not abandoned us.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

What will eternal life be like?

Those who belong to Jesus have a wonderful hope.

When Jesus took the punishment for our injustice upon himself on the cross, two evil criminals died with him. One of these criminals recognised Jesus as the Saviour.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Lk 23:39–43 NIV

The word paradise means ’garden.’

Friendly Mission Outreach

Jesus sent out 70 disciples to evangelise from village to village and from house to house.
He gave them a method of evangelism in the form of clear instructions.

“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’
“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you.
Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ Lk 10:5, 8-9 NIV

Probably you are not an elder and certainly you are not a Jew in New Testament times. So how can we apply the general principles behind this method of evangelism in our culture today?

In his excellent book on Prayer Evangelism, Ed Silvoso summarises the instructions of Jesus in four brief points.

1. Speak peace to them.
2. Fellowship with them.
3. Take care of their needs.
4. Proclaim the good news.

Speak peace. Have fellowship.

Approach neighbours and workmates with an open, friendly attitude. Don’t be religious or preachy.
Paul said he tried to be all things to all men, to meet and accept people as they are.

Tony Campolo is an American preacher who wanted to reach out to teenage prostitutes. He invited a group of them to his room, paid for their time and entertained them with milkshakes and kind conversation, loving them as a father.

Take care of their needs.

If a homeless beggar asks for money, I sometimes buy them some food, and if possible, have a friendly conversation.

My wife had a lot of contact with Muslim immigrants through her work. She often made friends with them and when they told her about their needs, she prayed for them. Sometimes she would see wonderful answers to prayer.

Proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom.

My wife and I make friends with our neighbours. Often they have serious health problems and we pray for them. In situations like this, I often share my testimony of answered prayers for healing.

I am 76. When I talk to people of my generation, I tell them we are approaching the end of our lives. I tell them I believe in Jesus and I am not afraid of dying, because I will go to heaven with Jesus.

 

How does God see you?

 I just read about Kathryn Kuhlman, a famous American preacher. She had amazing spiritual gifts, preaching, word of knowledge and healings.

She said the secret of her ministry was complete surrender to God. Not my will, but your will be done.
I feel I should be inspired by this, but I feel overwhelmed and intimidated.

As a new convert, I was in a church that preached complete surrender and absolute obedience, week after week, sermon after sermon. The pressure was unbearable and I had a complete nervous breakdown.

So what do you do if you know your trust in God is not at this level? The preacher tells you that if you don’t put your whole life on the altar without reservations, God will not bless you or use you.
So you feel guilty, unloved, a spiritual failure, or even condemned and afraid of God’s judgement.

So if you read testimonies of great faith heroes, and you feel discouraged rather than inspired, what do you do?

Firstly, don't compare yourself with other believers.

What if Luke compared himself with Paul? There is no record in the bible of Luke healing the sick, preaching to crowds or raising the dead.

Luke knew he did not have the same gifts as Paul. He knew he could not do everything Paul did, but he did not let that stop him doing the things that he could do. 

He researched and recorded the history of the earthly life of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke.

Secondly, ask God how He sees you right now?

Does he want you to give up something? Or maybe not. Does he want you do do something new? Or maybe not.

Does he want you to keep doing what you are doing? Or maybe not.

Does he want you to dedicate your life in a new way? Or maybe rather rest in his love and mercy just as you are.

Ask God how he sees you right now. You can be sure he will show you his love.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Rom 8:1 NIV

So now, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith in his promises, we can have real peace with him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

For because of our faith, he has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be. Rom 5:1–2 The Living Bible, Paraphrased

Don't let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can do.

Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.

And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.

If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 1 Cor 12:14–17 NIV